Mustard dispenser with thumbactuated dispensing means



J. A ROBBE-NS Aug. 3, 1954 MUSTARD DISPENSER WITH THUMB-ACTUATEDDISPENSING MEANS Filed Aug. 1'7, 1950 FIG. I.

Inventor JOSEPH ROBBENS Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE MUSTARD DISPENSER WITH THUMB- ACTUATED DISPENSING MEANS Joseph ARobbens,'Saratoga Springs, N. Y.

Application August 17, 1950, Serial No. 180,047

3 Claims. (Cl. 222320) The present invention relates to a dispenserassembly which is simple in structural detail, positive and efficient inoperation and which finds particular application for dispensing mustardand similar viscous substances in an easy and sanitary manner.

Broadly, the dispenser assembly comprises a body portion, a topdetachably secured to the body portion, a dispensing tube within thebody portion and extending through an aperture in the top, a resilientdisc attached to tube for effecting an air tight seal in the bodyportion, and finger operated means located within the top andcooperating with the dispensing tube to impart a step by step movementwhereby the contents will be forced upwardly through the tube by theresilient disc.

It is well known that the dispensing of mustard presents a number ofproblems, the most important being to provide a sanitary container andto permit the contents to be dispensed easily in a minimum of time.Generally speaking, the usual mustard dispenser employed in restaurantsand other eatingestablishments includes a transparent body and a metalclosure cap having a discharge opening therein. To dispense thecontents, it is necessary to either shake the container or strike thebottom thereof and neither of these techniques is entirely satisfactory.Obviously, it is quite difiicult to regulate the amount of mustard to bedispensed and when the supply is nearly exhausted, it is practicallyimpossible to remove the contents. Another objectionable feature is thefact that the contents are constantly open to the atmosphere which notonly tends to create an unsanitary condition but causes the mustard todry out and as a consequence, the supply must be replenished at frequentintervals.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a dispenserfor mustard and similar products which will overcome the above and otherundesirable characteristics now inherent in the art.

A further object of my invention is to provide a dispenser for materialsof the character described which seals the contents from contact withair, dust and other foreign matter thus insuring that the contents willbe kept fresh and sanitary over extended periods of time.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a dispenser formustard and the like which includes few essential working parts therebyenabling the dispenser to be easily cleaned and permit the unit to bemanufactured and sold at a.

reasonable price.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide adispenser for foodstuffs wherein the resilient disc carried by thedispensing tube for forcing the contents through the tube to the pointof use also effectively seals the contents against exposure to theatmosphere and foreign substances.

And yet another object of my invention is to provide a dispenser forviscous materials wherein the contents are discharged from the bodyportion by the manipulation of a finger piece which is resilientlysupported within the closure cap thus permitting the amount dischargedto be regulated within very fine limits.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this application, wherein likereference characters denote corresponding parts in the several views,and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a dispenser made in accordancewith my inventive concept.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the closure cap and the fingeroperatedpiece and Figure 3 is a' vertical sectional view of thedispensing tube and the disc or piston for sealing the contents andforcing the contents through the tube. 1

With reference to Figure l, I have indicated a body portion of anysuitable material such as, plastic, glass or metal l0 and the open upperend thereof is adapted to be closed by a domeshaped cap I l, preferablyof a light-weight metal. The body is internally threaded as shown at l2which threaded area is engaged by external threads l3 on a knurled ring14 surrounding the lower periphery of the cap and the ring is desirablymade of the same material as the body I0.

The cap is formed with an opening IS in the upper wall for receiving adispensing tube l6 and the tube is of slightly less diameter than thatof the opening in order that the tube may readily move therethrough, aswill later be more fully described. The tube It is fabricated from asuitable plastic and is of greater length than the body and cap toinsure that the upper end of the tube will extend beyond the cap whenthe lower end of the tube is adjacent the bottom wall of the bodyportion H). An annular flange H is carried by the lower end of the tubeand supports a resilient disc or piston 18. The disc 18 is ofsubstantially the same diameter as the inside of the body portion and isprovided with an annular recess 1 9 in which the fiange I! is lodged andthe lower end of the tube merges with an opening 28 in the lower wall ofthe disc. The disc is further formed with an annular groove 21 in itslower Wall adjacent the outer periphery of the disc to assure that thearea below the disc will be completely sealed against contact with theair. The upper end of the tube may support a detachable spout or nozzlehaving an outlet aperture of any desired configuration.

In order to move the tube 16 and disc 18 downwardly in the body, it willbe noted that the wall of the cap H is provided with a slot 22 throughwhich projects a finger piece 23. The free or inner end of the fingerpiece carries a ring-like member 24 which surrounds the tube, theopening in the ring-likemember being of greater diameter than the tubediameter and a spring 25 also encircles the tube at a point below thering 24 to normally maintain the wall of the opening in the ring out ofengagement with the tube I6. Hence, the application of pressure to thefinger piece will cause the ring 24 to compress the spring 25 and causethe wall of the opening to engage the periphery of the tube to move thetube and disc I8 downwardly a short distance whereupon the contents willbe forced upwardly through the tube and out of the spout. Upon releaseof the finger piece, the spring will urge the ring 24 of the fingerpiece away from the tube. If desired, the periphery of the tube it maybe roughened as at 26 in order that the ring may obtain better purchaseon the tube.

In using the dispenser, the cap I I and the tube [6 together with thedisc l8 are removed from the body portion Ill. The body is thensubstantially filed with the material to be dispensed and I have foundthat the best results are achieved when the body is filled to aboutthree-fourth capacity. The tube I6 is then inserted through the openingI5 in the cap until the disc is adjacent the lower end thereof. The capis secured to the body by turning the knurled ring [4 and the dispenseris ready for use.

The contents may easily be dispensed by merely using one hand since thebody may be held by the fingers while the thumb can be employed tooperate the finger piece 23. The alternate application and release ofpressure to the finger piece will impart a step by step downwardmovement to the tube and as a result, the necessary amount of materialcan be forced through the discharge spout. Inasmuch as the disccompletely seals the contents from the air, the contents will remainfresh and sanitary and there is no wastage of the contents as is true ofthe majority of dispensers in current use. Furthermore, the essen- 4tial parts may be quickly disassembled for cleaning purposes and theunit presents few if any problems from the repair and maintainence pointof View.

The invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with theshowing in the drawing, but may be changed or modified so long as suchchanges or modifications mark no material departure from the salientfeatures of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a dispenser for mustard and the like, a body portion having anopen end, a closure cap for the open end, a tube located in the bodyportion and extending through an opening in the closure cap, a resilientpiston head supported by the lower end of the tube and adapted to engagethe surface of the mustard in the body portion with the peripheryslidably engaging the inside of the body portion and seal the contentsfrom contact with air, a rigid substantially flat ringlike member withinthe closure cap having an opening therein of greater diameter than thetube for receiving the tube, spring means within the cap below thering-like member for normally maintaining the wall of the opening insaid member out of contact with the tube, and an operating elementcarried by the ring-like member pro- J'ecting through a slot in theclosure cap adapted to be depressed and force one wall of the ringlikemember into contact with the tube against the action of the spring meansto displace said tube and piston head downwardly in the body whereby thepiston head forces the contents up- Wardly through the tube.

2. In a dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the operating element isintegrall formed with the ring-like member and said tube is detachablyconnected to the resilient piston head.

3. In a dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lower face of theresilient piston head is provided with an annular groove adjacent theperiphery of the resilient piston head to effect an air tight sealbetween the disc and the body portion.

References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number.Name Date 608,323 Cypher Aug. 2, 1898 1,515,446 Stelter Nov. 11, 19241,737,783 Butler Dec. 3, 1929 1,873,835 Fountaine Aug. 23, 19321,896,750 Maas Feb. 7, 1933 2,269,371 Hammerschmidt et al. Jan. 6, 1942FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,119 France June 25, 1914

